Kean University techies develop cemetery smartphone app

UNION — For those who want to know who is buried in the old cemetery next to the First Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth, there's now an app for that.

Students studying computer science at Kean University in Union have developed an app that provides access to a wealth of information about the cemetery and its occupants that's sure satisfy the curiosity of historical researchers, genealogists and any other interested person.

There are two versions of the app.

For the iPhone and other Apple devices, the app is called “fpc Cemetery app” and is available as a free download on the Apple store website.

For Android smartphones and other devices, the app is called “FPC Cemetery” and can also be downloaded for free at the Android store website.

Rev. Robert Higgs, a pastor at the church who pitched the idea of the app to Kean University, seems pleased with the result.

“It clearly represents a cutting-edge approach to linking the latest technology to the necessity of preserving and rediscovering our history,” Higgs said. “Everywhere I've shown the app, people have been impressed by the quality of the work and intrigued as to how this technology can open new audiences to appreciating our heritage.”

Patricia Morreale, a professor of computer science at Kean, said she does not usually entertain requests from the public for her students to develop software, but that the decision to go ahead with the project was easier because of Higgs' computer savvy.

“The reverend has a background in information technology,” Morreale said, notng that Higgs was also very specific in describing the functionality he was looking for.

“He wanted an iPhone app to assist relatives of people who might be buried in this graveyard,” she said. “He was quite clear and it seemed like a good project.”

About 10 students, divided into two teams, were involved in developing the app. One team worked on the version for Apple devices, the other for Android. The reverend provided a database of information about the people — some of them historically important — buried in the cemetery.

“These teams of seniors studied and analyzed the problem, developed the software requirements, put it to a time line and divvied up the tasks,” Morreale said. “There were quite a number of technical challenges.”

Student Carlos Silva played a leadership role for both development teams, while student Jason Bonafide served as database developer and administrator supporting both teams.

The Apple iPhone development team led by Josh Lisojo included students Allan Goncalves, Nathaly Lozano and Harold Liao.

Daniel Church led the Google Android development team, which included students Dev Das, Steve Holtz and Jugal Shah.

To learn more about the Kean University Computer Science Department, visit kean.edu.